Danny Weakens More, Another Storm's On Its Tail

As Tropical Storm Danny continues to be the big news out of the Atlantic, another storm is right on its tail.

Tropical disturbance No. 2 is currently located about 500 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands, following along much the same path Danny took earlier this week.

“Environmental conditions are expected to be conducive for development, and a tropical depression is likely to form by mid-week while the wave moves quickly westward at around 20 mph,” the National Hurricane Center wrote in its 8 a.m. Sunday report on the storm. Chances of this storm’s development have been set at 70 percent in the next 48 hours and 80 percent over the next five days as of 2 p.m. Sunday.

Should that storm form, it would be named Erika.

Meanwhile, Danny was located about 275 miles east of Guadeloupe as of 11 a.m. Sunday and is continuing to move toward the Leeward Islands as of Sunday morning. The once Category 3 hurricane has weakened dramatically and is now considered a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. Danny is moving west at 16 mph and is expected to downgrade further as it nears Puerto Rico.

Two other disturbances are being tracked by the hurricane center. The first is an area of low pressure located near Bermuda. That storm is not expected to form into a tropical cyclone over the next five days. The second storm, tropical depression No. 2, is expected to move off Africa’s west coast sometime on Sunday. That storm has a 10 percent chance of further formation in the next five days.

While none of the storms under watch pose immediate risks to the United States, forecasters say they bear careful monitoring.

As the storms churn in the tropics, the Tampa Bay area is in for a 30 percent chance of rain in the evening hours Sunday and a 50 percent chance in the afternoon and evening hours Monday.

For a detailed look at the forecast for your neighborhood, visit your local Patch’s homepage.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 4:48 p.m. Sunday with the latest information from the National Hurricane Center.

Graphics courtesy of the National Weather Service